Citadel of the Frozen Cliff (Story)

◄13

14Citadel of the Frozen Cliff

15►

Stages

Story

Dark Mode

Gallery

After all, the responsibility for a son's sins lies upon the shoulders of his father.

---

With the help of the Cookies of Darkness, Affogato Cookie successfully takes over the Black Citadel and becomes the impromptu ruler of the Dark Cacao Kingdom. Will the homeland remain fortified, or will it succumb to the vicious Licorice Beasts?

---

01. Dark Choco Cookie Attacks
Pomegranate Cookie	The Great Wall is finally falling... I have looked forward to this moment.
	All thanks to my powers over the Licorice Sea! He he!	Licorice Cookie
	... But Dark Choco Cookie, what do we do next?
Dark Choco Cookie	Dark Cacao Cookie's Soul Jam waits somewhere within the citadel.	Licorice Cookie
	... Someplace dark, deep inside, I'd wager. We have to find it.
	You seem well prepared. I will leave the rest in your... capable hands. After all, you know the way around the castle better than any of us.	Pomegranate Cookie
	We do not have the luxury of time. Find the Soul Jam and raze the castle to the ground before sunrise.	Pomegranate Cookie
Licorice Cookie	This'll be a piece of cake!
	Dark Enchantress Cookie will finally acknowledge my genius and fervor! He he he!
Dark Choco Cookie	No more chatter. It's time to attack.
Dark Choco Cookie	Let's give the Dark Cacao Kingdom a cold and heartless end befitting it.
	Groooar... GRAAGH!	Licorice Ooze
Poison Mushroom Cookie	Let's give them shroomies too... Wait for me...!
	Grrr... GRRRR!	Licorice Ooze

02. Into the Citadel! AND FAST!
Strawberry Cookie	Is it really safe for us to be the first up on the walls...?
	It's not like we have any other option! Caramel Arrow Cookie still hasn't returned!	Chili Pepper Cookie
Wizard Cookie	Maybe something happened? Caramel Arrow Cookie didn't seem like a Cookie to break a promise.
	Oooh boy, this is way too high up! I'm getting dizzy...!	Custard Cookie III
GingerBrave	Stay calm and don't look down!
	Too late... I LOOKED DOWN!	Chili Pepper Cookie
	Huh...? What's that dark thing down there? It almost looks like... it's climbing the wall!	Chili Pepper Cookie
Strawberry Cookie	Oh no... The ground is shaking!!!
	AHHH! Hold tight!	GingerBrave
Chili Pepper Cookie	Wh-what's going on?! Is it an earthquake?
	No... This is not an earthquake...	Wizard Cookie
	The wall! The wall is collapsing!	Wizard Cookie
	AAAGH!!! At this rate, we're toast!
GingerBrave	RUN! We need to get into the castle!

03. Inside the Citadel
Wizard Cookie	Phew! We barely made it. I almost lost my hat on the way...
	You there! Trespassers! Who let you in here?!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1
GingerBrave	The castle walls have fallen! Everyone has to get to safety!
	What nonsense are you spouting? The castle walls are made of reinforced 100% cacao able to withstand any siege!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1
Chili Pepper Cookie	Hello? Can you hear us fine?! Get your boss or something, Dark Cacao Cookie or whatever his name is!
	Chili Pepper Cookie! You have to stay civilized! No matter the situation, royal etiquette has to be followed!	Custard Cookie III
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	Well-versed in etiquette, I see! I suppose I can spare a moment to hear what you have to say.
	Uhm, so you see... We just want to meet... Mister? Lord...? Dark Cacao Cookie!	Custard Cookie III
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	... Such insolence! It's our noble king you're talking about!
	Mannerless outlanders have no right to walk these halls! I will deal with you myself, here and now!
	Whaat?! But what did I do wrong?!	Custard Cookie III

04. All Hail the New Ruler!
Affogato Cookie	Aha ha ha! Let us raise our cups!
	A day like this deserves no less than the finest!
	I even took the liberty of adding five sugar cubes to each cup of coffee! What do you think?
	I have to say, this is most sweet and soft! But I am unsure if we are deserving of this majestic feast...	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2
Affogato Cookie	Do not fret! From now on, this castle, and all the lands around it, belong to me.
	Dark Cacao Cookie was dealt with by Dark Choco Cookie, who I assume was gone as soon as his mission was completed.
Affogato Cookie	Such a tragic loss of the respected Dark Cacao King. That's why I stepped up to become their new ruler! Ha ha ha!
	Thanks to your political genius, we can enjoy all these delights! But tell us, how did you manage to prepare all this food?	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2
Affogato Cookie	Let's just say there was some spare coin in the royal treasury.
	The late king was too stingy when it came to spending. That is one of many improvements the Dark Cacao Kingdom will see under my rule.
Affogato Cookie	Sweetened meals for sugar-loving citizens, entertainment for those seeking amusement.
Affogato Cookie	Through wise and benevolent policies, I will make all Cookies in the kingdom able to spend their days happy and free.
	But will the Cookies be able to accept that? They are known for their rigidness and austerity.	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2
Affogato Cookie	Then, those who disagree will be banished to the Great Icing Ridge.
	Affogato Cookie! We have intruders!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1
Affogato Cookie	What?! No, it's not him... the king is no more. And the prince has gone... Yes.
	It's a group of outlanders speaking nonsense! One moment they claim the Great Wall has fallen, the next that they've come to meet Dark Cacao Cookie!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1
Affogato Cookie	Sugar-for-brain vagabonds! Get rid of them!
	No, no, no. From now on, no one is allowed in the Black Citadel without my explicit permission.
	Yes, My Lord!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1
Affogato Cookie	*sigh* I need another cup of sweet coffee.
Affogato Cookie	Most of my life, I spent down on my knees. Even the moments I was allowed to sit in a chair, none of them were spent in comfort.
Affogato Cookie	If only I had known the royal throne would be so comfortable, I would've tried to become king earlier! Aha ha ha!

05. The King & the Arrow
Dark Cacao Cookie	...Mmh.
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Your Majesty! You're awake!
	You...? You returned.	Dark Cacao Cookie
Caramel Arrow Cookie	I returned to come to your aid. As soon as I arrived at the Black Citadel, I saw you fall off the cliff and ran as fast as my body allowed.
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Aside from a few crumbs of your arm, I'm relieved to see you are unharmed.
	Then... did you see who attacked me?	Dark Cacao Cookie
Caramel Arrow Cookie	... I did.
	But I refused to believe my own eyes! It was the prince, your son, who attacked you, Your Majesty.
	The very same Cookie who once taught me how to wield a bow...
	I was dreaming of the day I could once more stand by my prince, my commander. I cannot believe it truly was him...
Dark Cacao Cookie	... But his stance, that unmistakable technique...
	It could not have been anyone else than Dark Choco Cookie.
Dark Cacao Cookie	... Ugh...!
	Your Majesty! Don't overexert yourself!	Caramel Arrow Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	Why do you stay loyal to a king whose very son attempted to assassinate him? Such a disgrace...
	Indeed, our kingdom is in chaos. Many of your once-loyal Cookies no longer put faith in their king, but...	Caramel Arrow Cookie
	I still remember. I remember you leading the vanguard to protect the Cookies from the monsters of the Great Ridge.	Caramel Arrow Cookie
	The resolve in your eyes has ever remained the same, Your Majesty. I believe that you can restore our kingdom's former glory!
Dark Cacao Cookie	... Former glory, huh...
	I see... There's only one way left to protect the kingdom.
Dark Cacao Cookie	I must fix the errors of my past.
	After all, the responsibility for a son's sins lies upon the shoulders of his father.
	What will you do, Your Majesty?	Caramel Arrow Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	Be it by my own hand, I will make sure Dark Choco Cookie falls.
	Wh...what?!	Caramel Arrow Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	Help me up, Caramel Arrow Cookie. I have to get to the Black Citadel right away.
	There is something that must be done.

06. Tomb of Blades
Caramel Arrow Cookie	To think these large halls existed beneath the Citadel...
	Even after all my time here, I had no idea.
	This is where the spirits of fallen Dark Cacao Warriors are preserved.	Dark Cacao Cookie
	The warriors who kept these lands safe by any means necessary.
	... The same determination that made me bar the castle gates.
	To make the kingdom into a giant fortress, the last bastion to stop our foes... That was my plan.
Caramel Arrow Cookie	What? Please explain a bit more, Your Majesty.
	But our noble soldiers... They will have to face the armies of our enemies without a place to retreat...
	This is the only way to protect our continent.	Dark Cacao Cookie
	Beyond the Dark Cacao Kingdom lies the Licorice Sea, nothing but sharp mountain peaks surround our harsh land.
	You cannot wish for a better battlefield to defend against monsters rising up from the dark waters!
	Fighting against the Licorice Sea monsters, making sure they never step into the greater world... Is there a more honorable end for a Dark Cacao Warrior?	Dark Cacao Cookie
	I wish that one day, I, too, will become worthy of being buried here.	Dark Cacao Cookie
Caramel Arrow Cookie	... I understand. I will follow your command, Your Majesty. I am sure the other warriors feel the same.
Caramel Arrow Cookie	One thing is clear: I will always stay by your side. You will not meet your end facing the monsters alone!
	I know. You have always been good to your comrades.	Dark Cacao Cookie
	That is why I sent you outside the Black Citadel's walls. I knew I could trust you to aid the villagers should the Citadel fall.
	But I underestimated your fealty. I could not foresee you would stop at nothing to return here and come to my aid.	Dark Cacao Cookie
Caramel Arrow Cookie	My king...
Caramel Arrow Cookie	I... am ashamed to admit I questioned your wisdom, even if but for a moment!
	I was swayed by the deceitful rumors lurking all around us... ... I doubted my king, who was nothing but a paragon of honor.
	But now all my doubts are dispelled! I will fight by your side until my body turns to crumbs!
	That's the Dark Cacao warrior I remember!	Dark Cacao Cookie
	Take a look at this! A treasure of this kingdom and the mark of a hero. My Soul Jam.
Dark Cacao Cookie	Hah... The time has come at last.

07. Affogato Cookie Shows His Power
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	I don't think I'll ever grow tired of sweet delicacies!
	Candy Muffins, Choco Chip Brownies, Sugar Syrup Soda... How could I resist all this sweetness!
	Ha ha ha! Indeed, it's easy to get accustomed to the life abundant sweets and delicacies. The life I will make possible!	Affogato Cookie
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	Truly, you are the only ruler to show such overwhelming care for the subjects! We are forever grateful, Your Majesty!
	Ha ha ha! "Your Majesty!" ... Has a nice ring to it! Go on, eat to your hearts' content!	Affogato Cookie
GingerBrave	We don't have time for this! The Wall is collapsing!
	What? Who are you?!	Affogato Cookie
GingerBrave	If the walls fall, this castle is doomed! You have to let us see Dark Cacao Cookie!
	Is that so? I take it you are the reason for the commotion earlier, the trespassers the priests spoke of!	Affogato Cookie
	I'm afraid you won't find Dark Cacao Cookie here.	Affogato Cookie
	He is gone... FOREVER!
	Dark Choco Cookie has taken care of that. Then he left ME in charge of this kingdom.	Affogato Cookie
	From now on, I, Affogato Cookie, am the sole ruler of these lands!	Affogato Cookie
Custard Cookie III	You! You're one of the those bad Cookies, stealing the thrones from real kings, aren't you? I've heard about your unjust kind!
	Oh? Wait, wait, wait...! I was just granted a vision of the future from the God of Desserts.	Affogato Cookie
	A future where you are nothing but my servants, doing menial tasks until your bodies grow stale! Ha ha!	Affogato Cookie
Chili Pepper Cookie	Pshhhh! You're gonna force ME to work?
Chili Pepper Cookie	How 'bout you hand over some of those royal treasures before saying stuff like that, huh?!
	Perhaps, it's time to show you the power of our magic? Priest, destroy those Cookies!	Affogato Cookie
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	At once!
	Oh, COME ON! Why does it have to be this hard to deliver a single letter?!	GingerBrave

08. Affogato Cookie's Defeat
Affogato Cookie	I can't believe this... How can some random Cookies just turn up and defeat me...?
Affogato Cookie	Have you any idea... what I have gone through to claim this castle? This power. I've gained through my own strength, my own labor! I will never give it up!
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2	Ugh... Lord Affogato Cookie...! I-I brought you b-bad news!
	What is it now?!	Affogato Cookie
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2	Th-the Wall!
	Out with it, quickly!	Affogato Cookie
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2	The Wall has been breached!
	The Great Wall... made of solid chocolate?! Impossible... It is supposed to withstand any threat!	Affogato Cookie
	GROOAR...!!!	Licorice Ooze
Affogato Cookie	What in the world is that?!
	The monsters who razed the wall are about to get inside the Citadel! They're almost upon us!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2
Affogato Cookie	And you allowed this to happen?! Do something!
	We... can't! There're too many of them...!	Affogato Cookie's Disciple 2
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	AHHH!!! HELP!
	This way, Your Majesty! We're almost at the throne room!	Caramel Arrow Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	Yes. And I'm sure he will be here.
	D-D-Dark Cacao Cookie?!?!	Affogato Cookie
Affogato Cookie's Disciple 1	What should we do? Your Majesty?! King Dark Cacao Cookie has returned!
Affogato Cookie	This is no good... If Dark Cacao Cookie finds out I've taken over the throne, I'm good as crumbs!
	I barely got this far... I thought my dream had finally come true...! It seems I have to retreat. For now...
	But this is not the end! I will keep on fighting for my place in the world, like I always have!
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Affogato Cookie is escaping!
	I'll chase after and take care of him!
	Leave him.	Dark Cacao Cookie
	We have more important matters on hand.

09. Raging Storm
Dark Cacao Cookie	...I can hear the sound of bells.
	The snowstorm must have grown harsher.
	He is... close.
Caramel Arrow Cookie	My prince!
	You promised a future as strong as the mountains... Yet instead, you assaulted your own king...!
	Get out of my way. I am no longer the Cookie you once knew.	Dark Choco Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	You foolish whelp! You dare come here with that blade drenched in sin and strawberry jam?!
	You're more difficult to get rid of than you seem.	Dark Choco Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	Do you think the spirits of the noble warriors laid to rest here will forgive you?!
	Hmph. Soon, these "spirits" will watch me reducing the Dark Cacao Kingdom to ruins.	Dark Choco Cookie
	At night beasts will roam freely, and at day nothing but distrust and hatred will fill the air.
	Give me the Soul Jam embedded into your blade. I will bring that power to much better use.
Dark Cacao Cookie	You never cease to disappoint me, Dark Choco Cookie.
	Malicious creature, your name will never be engraved onto the Altar of the Fallen.
	I never wished for that anyway.	Dark Choco Cookie
	In this Kingdom, I knew no love or sweetness but rigid cold! What makes you think I care about you or this forsaken land?!
GingerBrave	W—wait! Let's talk it over! WITH WORDS!
	Y—yeah! Words before swords, you know!	Wizard Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	This is between the two of us. Move aside!
Dark Cacao Cookie	Go on. Spew another one of your insults.
	The only lessons you've taught me are how to survive on my own, and that the weak should give way to the strong.	Dark Choco Cookie
	So just hand over that precious trinket already.
	I might have been your son, but now I have surpassed your strength... This is my final warning... Father.
Dark Cacao Cookie	Don't you dare call me that with that wicked tongue of yours!
	If I had known how you would turn out, I would never have let you go after what you did to your homeland!
	Instead, the father's heart in me showed you the mercy of banishment. And now I am to pay for my softheartedness once more!
	I have nothing left for the pathetic traitor who has given away the last specks of his pride!
	Stubborn old fool...!	Dark Choco Cookie
	Will you still be clawing at that precious sword of yours after your kingdom has fallen? Will you persist even after having slain your own son?!
	*sigh* ...Time to put this miserable charade to an end.	Dark Choco Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	You whelp! Your wicked arrogance knows no bounds!
	So be it! It is my life's greatest regret to have called you my son!
	Time for me to set things straight!

10. Father & Son
Dark Choco Cookie	...Is this my limit?
	Is this... how far my strength could take me?
	Strength.	Dark Cacao Cookie
	Yes, it was I who taught you to wish for strength, was it not...
	I remember it as if it were yesterday... I held you in my arms for the very first time, and the millennia-old ridges, the ancient trees, the wolves, and all the warriors chanted their blessings...
	And we stood together atop the Great Wall overlooking our entire kingdom... Holding your tiny hand, I promised myself to raise a strong, just, and kind warrior.
	It is as clear as day now... My life's greatest regret is that I never gave you enough... love.
	I taught you how to wield the sword, and yet I never taught you why.	Dark Cacao Cookie
Dark Choco Cookie	...
	I am sorry. This realization was gravely overdue...	Dark Cacao Cookie
Dark Choco Cookie	...!!
Pomegranate Cookie	Enough with this touching family reunion. I can't take it anymore.
	Pomegranate Cookie...?!	Dark Choco Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	ARGH...!
	What did you do?!	Dark Choco Cookie
Pomegranate Cookie	You failed your mission again. Because of that, you forced my hand. I had to take care of what you couldn't.
	...Release me... from this sorcery...! You will... never... have me...!	Dark Cacao Cookie
Pomegranate Cookie	?! What is this?!
	My spell... is getting out of control!
Pomegranate Cookie	Is this... the power of the Soul Jam?
Dark Cacao Cookie	Uugh... AAARGH!!!
Licorice Cookie	What's happening with him?!
	Stay back! Or we are crumbs!	Pomegranate Cookie
Second Watcher	Ugh! Your Majesty...!
	Agh! Mercy...!	Bittersweet Dark Cacao Watcher
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Your Majesty! Come back to your senses! Do not succumb to their evil sorcery!
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Ugh...!
	Caramel Arrow Cookie! No!	GingerBrave
	We have to calm Dark Cacao Cookie down!	GingerBrave

11. Belated Realization
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Your Majesty! Are you all right?!
	Dark Cacao Cookie! Open your eyes!	GingerBrave
Pomegranate Cookie	Dark Cacao Cookie is out of strength! This is our chance.
	We have to claim his Soul Jam!
	The sword... commands me... to attack my father...?!	Dark Choco Cookie
	No more...! I will be the sword's thrall no longer...!
Dark Choco Cookie	Pomegranate Cookie... That's ENOUGH!
Pomegranate Cookie	AGH!
Pomegranate Cookie	You dare attack me?! Are you out of your mind?
Dark Choco Cookie	I understand it now. All this time I struggled to march on... Despite this path tormenting me more and more with each step.
	Strength can bring no good if it's born from suffering of others.
	Power... Can the power I've sought for all my life fill this... this void in my heart?
Dark Choco Cookie	No, it cannot. It can bring only sorrow and suffering spiraling over and over again.
Dark Choco Cookie	All this time, I was blinded by this lust for power. It has led me astray...
	Led me far off the path shown to me by my father whom I once adored so greatly...
	I take it you do not care if the reports of tonight's events reach Dark Enchantress Cookie? You will profoundly regret your... choice.	Pomegranate Cookie
Dark Choco Cookie	I do not care...
	My vision has become clearer now. The Darkness has... lost its grip on my soul.
Dark Choco Cookie	I have no need for this cursed sword anymore. But...
Dark Choco Cookie	… Strange. Like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. … Even though nothing remains anymore.
Pomegranate Cookie	Pretending to be above the rest until the end, I see. A pitiful traitor always remains a pitiful traitor.
	Not Dark Enchantress Cookie, nor I, will ever forgive you! We will sure to grant you the cruelest of ends!
	The day of curse of darkness engulfs you, wringing out your very soul... Know that I will be there, laughing!
	Pomegranate Cookie, that's enough! You're hurt! Let's retreat!	Licorice Cookie
Poison Mushroom Cookie	Dark Choco Cookie...! Don't leave...
	Who's gonna eat my shroomies...?!
Caramel Arrow Cookie	My prince... Where are you heading...
	I... I hope destiny grants you a more forgiving path...

12. Dawn of Spring
Dark Cacao Cookie	...
Dark Cacao Cookie	This fight is not over yet. Monsters still roam the Citadel grounds. Pick up your weapons!
	As you command!	Caramel Arrow Cookie
Dark Cacao Cookie	My proud soldiers, heed my word!
	Even if no one knows our battle in these frozen lands...
	Even if no one knows how we walk towards our end, if this forsaken corner of the world...
	We, Dark Cacao Warriors, stand together!
Dark Cacao Cookie	Our oath to protect our homeland is eternal! WARRIORS! ONWARDS!
	WAAAAAGH!!!	Cookies
Caramel Arrow Cookie	The monsters are retreating...!
Caramel Arrow Cookie	Your Majesty! Victory is ours!
	Phew! That was long, and tiring, and horrible... AND GLORIOUS!	Wizard Cookie
Strawberry Cookie	Dark Cacao Cookie protected the kingdom...
	Future king's advice? We should come back here in the summer! I bet we'll miss local weather when it gets too hot...	Custard Cookie III
Chili Pepper Cookie	Yeah, let's get out of here! There's nothing in the treasury but bitter cacao beans!
	When did you...?	Wizard Cookie
GingerBrave	Ah, that's right! I almost forgot!
GingerBrave	Dark Cacao Cookie! We've come a long way to give you this!
GingerBrave	It's an important letter from Pure Vanilla Cookie! You have to read it!
	From Pure Vanilla... Cookie?	Dark Cacao Cookie

13. Pure Vanilla Cookie's Letter
Pure Vanilla Cookie	Dear Dark Cacao Cookie. How have you been?
	Is the pure white sugar snow falling over there as it always used to?
Pure Vanilla Cookie	I'm writing this letter in front of a cozy, crackling bonfire with a nice cup of fragrant vanilla tea. It's such a warm and comforting place.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	Yet, for the longest time, I was trapped in a void. It was darker than the darkest night, and colder than the harshest winter.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	But then I was saved by a group of Cookie travelers. Their pure, crispy hearts helped me find my smile again.
	We laughed, feasted on sweets together, and exchanged pleasant stories. They reminded me of us during our own adventures.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	Dark Cacao Cookie. The great Shadow is once again hanging over our world.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	We, Cookies, value our freedom above everything else, but it is time to stand up and fight against forces trying to take that freedom away.
	We still have our Soul Jam. The lights still hasn't faded, and neither has our courage nor will.
	Perhaps, the sole reason we are even here is because we still have our mission ahead of us. Don't you agree?
	I believe that it is our path to follow, so that other Cookies, young and curious, have a chance to see the wide world that is out there, as we saw it in the past.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	So let us turn our vision towards the future. For the good of all Cookies, and... for you and me.
Pure Vanilla Cookie	I wish to meet you again. With respect and love, Pure Vanilla Cookie
	"PS. I was busy writing the letter I forgot to feed the birds! I think I'll have to play with them some extra to make them happy again."
Dark Cacao Cookie	Pure Vanilla Cookie...
	What we swore to protect...
Light of Resolution	You are back.
	This voice... Who...?	Dark Cacao Cookie
Light of Resolution	Your loyal subjects are waiting, ready to follow your command. It is time for you to return to your Cookies.
	Your Majesty. I will follow your lead until the end.	Caramel Arrow Cookie
	I await your command!
Dark Cacao Cookie	Good.
	… Spring is coming.
Dark Cacao Cookie	A perfect time to start rebuilding that wall.
To be continued...